Gingerbread To The Rescue

One of my family's favorite holiday traditions is to gather approximately a million different kinds of candies together in order to properly decorate a gingerbread house. Sure it's a little insane, but then again, so are a lot of other holiday traditions.

Like gorging one's self on rum balls and belting out Mele Kalikimaka at top volume while standing on the fireplace hearth.

Or so I've heard. Heh heh. Not like I've ever done that or anything.

Ahem. Moving on.

You know what is more fun than decorating a gingerbread house? Letting your kids invite fifteen friends over so they all can decorate a gingerbread house.

Ta da! Instant party.

(Yes, I do believe I lost my mind when I quite clearly stated "Invite who ever you want" and then promptly forgot to set a limit on the guest list.)

(Despite the incredible noise level that fifteen girls between the ages of ten and thirteen can create, it was a lot of fun and I will totally do it again next year.)

Most interesting to me was the fact that all of the gingerbread houses had the same basic house shape and access to the same bowls of gum drops, Mike and Ike's, marshmallows, Fruit Stripe gum, Snowcaps, mints (both pepper and spear), candy canes, lollipops, and Tootsie Rolls, but how differently they were decorated.

Who knew you could create such impressive construction projects with candy and royal icing? Each one was so unique and so amazing that I had to share some examples with you.

I do love a gumdrop fence ...

… and marshmallow shrubbery.

This one had no fence, but I love the lollipops standing guard at the Fruit Stripe gum front door.

The girls started to get fancy with their candy canes ...

… which inspired other girls to get fancy with the Mike and Ike's. The "berries" on the wreath are actually little bits of Mike and Ike's rolled into small berry shapes.

Then things started to get silly.

One girl asked me if I had any bacon that she could use as a decoration. Sadly, I was fresh out of bacon, but I told her I was positive that she would come up with a creative solution to her problem.

She did.

Bacon (formerly known as red Fruit Stripe gum) adorned the roof and, in case that was too subtle, the word "BACON" written in royal icing.

And being my kids, there had to be a face and a mustache involved in the decorating process somewhere.

If you want an evening of high octane fun, invite fifteen giggly girls ages ten to thirteen (who are all hopped up on royal icing and candy) over to your house.

You'll be glad you did. Especially when you need an emergency replacement for your lovely cranberry centerpieces that you accidentally cooked.

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